Of Coffees and Meetings
by 8ouji-Rui
Summary: Sometimes, you don't need courage to save the day


AN: Hello! I know...I should've updated that angst-y story of mine. I ran out of idea. I will try to update that within the week though. Here's a (hopefully) fluffy piece in the mean time!

I got this inspiration to write both of them as an awkward couple. You know, dorks. Sometimes in real life, when you met someone that you actually care about, there would be this awkward moment that would happen before anything else. I am trying to portray that in this short piece. There's a lot of grammar and vocabulary mistakes...I tried to fix it as much as I could. That said, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own the story line, not the characters.

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He always see her sitting in that same spot, in the dimly lit corner of the café, 3 times a week. She'd come on 3 o'clock sharp, order the same drink every time, and then sit on the same stool right in the corner. One time, a new customer who didn't know about her habit came and sit on that spot. She came into the shop 5 minutes later than her usual time, and when she saw that someone is already sitting on her stool, she smiled at the barista and get out of the café. She came back the next week after the incident, and she saw that the customer who sat on her table before now sit on the table next to hers, and he smiled apologetically at her. On her table sat a hot cup of caramel latte, freshly brewed.

The oblivious customer from that day was him.

Now, after 3 months of becoming a regular customer of the café, he already staked his claim on the table next to hers. His schedule is a little bit more difficult to alter, but he always tried his best to sit there whenever she came by every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Something about her intrigues him. Whether it's the way she sip her coffee, or the way her eyes roam over the pages of her book (which is, strangely, always about weapons, war history, or action novel). He guessed that maybe it's the way her eyes lit up whenever she found interesting information in one of her books. She never looked at anything else until 5 o'clock came swinging by. By then, she would pack her literatures, pause a little bit to put some crumpled notes on the table, and then she'd take her empty paper glass to throw into the recycle bin on the way out.

He hasn't even knew her name yet.

After 6 months of watching –not stalking, mind you. Hyuugas never stalk- he finally decided that if he didn't get her name, he might as well quit being a loyal customer to the small café. That, he decided, wouldn't be convenient. The small café is the nearest, quietest, sanctuary for him. They also serve a decent coffee. (Those are all just his justifications. He's been itching to ask for her name since he sat on her spot that day, but hadn't gathered enough courage all these time).

So on Monday morning, he swings by at 2.45, ordered a cup of Caramel Latte, and then placed it on her table with a note which bore his handwriting.

 _Hello._

She came by on 2.50, ten minutes earlier than her usual time. She was about to order a cup of her usual treat when the barista told her to look at her table. She turned around. He saw that her eyes widen a little bit, and then her mouth turned into a small smile. He felt his face heat up, and then he promptly return his eyes back to his newspaper. When she slipped on the table next to his, he pretended not to notice her glances, which she tried to hide behind her books.

He still hadn't got her name.

On Wednesday, he was surprised when he saw her already sitting on her usual spot. He was even more surprised when he saw that on his table, there is a freshly brewed Americano. He sat on his stool, and when he was about to pick up his glass, he saw a piece of paper with a slightly messy handwriting.

 _Hi. Thanks for the treat last time._

He smiled inwardly. Tucking the note in his pocket, he then proceed to drink his coffee. He spared her a glance or two when he thought she wasn't looking. But once or twice, he saw her staring at his reflection on the glass pane next to him. She blushed when he caught her staring at it.

He still don't know her name.

On Friday, he came running to the café. _Its 4.05, I'm late._ The last meeting ended later than his estimation, and now he's late. He hoped that she's still there. He wanted to see her at least one last time before the weekend. When he neared the café, he saw a figure running from the opposite direction towards the café. It was her! Her signature hairstyle is slightly messy, a true sign she's been rushing to get here. Her backpack seems heavier than usual, she must've borrowed some new books from the library down the block. Her eyes slowly came to focus on him, and her motion slowed down until her legs came to a complete stop. For a few seconds, they stare at each other. Then her motion restarted, and then suddenly her legs start moving again. This time, she ran pass the café's entrance…this time she ran towards him. A shot of adrenaline pass through him as he also started running towards her. Forget about the café, forget about gathering enough courage. It's now or never.

Both of them met each other halfway, their feet only a foot apart. Their breath are slightly ragged, whether from exhaustion or anticipation, neither of them cared. Now that they're standing in front of each other, they realized that they hadn't prepare anything to say to each other. Both of them stared at each other, then at their own feet, suddenly too shy to even look at each other's face.

He decided that if he still didn't have his courage by now, he might not have any chance to talk to her anymore. It doesn't matter if he's ready or not, he needs to say something to her right now. This is just the beginning, and he could see that she's also as awkward as him in these kind of situation. Someone needs to reach out now or later, and if she's reluctant to do that then it's up to him to fix this.

"Name's Hyuuga. Neji Hyuuga"

His voice wavered a little bit in the end, something that is a very rare occurrence for him. He hoped she doesn't notice. She raised her head so quickly, he's afraid she would hurt her neck. Then, with a faint blush on her cheek, she opened her mouth and raised her voice.

"Tenten."

Another awkward moment passed by between them.

"T-then…shall we?"

She hesitantly asked him, her eyes glancing nervously at everything but his eyes. He stayed silent, his mind not in its usual state right now. He's still trying to understand what she said.

"I-I mean, I'm only assuming that you want to come inside...I understand if you have other appointment in your agenda," she must've taken his silence as refusal, seeing that by now her head is bowed down even lower than before. He cleared his throat, and try to fix this misunderstanding.

"Yes, let's get inside."

He flashed her a small smile which he hoped looked friendly to her. By now, her head is no longer bowed down and she's staring at his eyes with a glimmer of hope.

"Let's."

 _The café has one more spot open for new customers ever since that day._


End file.
